Should it be more difficult for districts to hire uncredentialed teachers? Should teachers on emergency permits be dispersed more evenly throughout the state - and not concentrated in poor, urban areas?
Should districts be required to give emergency permit teachers training time - with pay - before they assume control of a classroom?
Lawmakers, concerned about the rising numbers of teachers working on emergency permits, have introduced legislation designed to address some of these questions. Among this year's bills are:
AB 401, introduced by Assembly Member Tony Cardenas (D-39) would require school districts to ensure that uncredentialed teachers are evenly assigned throughout each school district. Under this proposal, each school in the district would have an equal or nearly equal percentage of teachers who are not credentialed. The bill's provisions are not intended to encourage school districts to employ teachers who are not fully credentialed.
AB 833, introduced by Assembly Member Darrell Steinberg (D-9), would prohibit a school district from assigning more than 10 percent of the average number of underqualified teachers employed by the district to any one school. The deadline for compliance would be Jan. 1, 2005.
AB 1342, introduced by Assembly Member Elaine Alquist (D-22), requires the California State University and University of California to develop a Professional Services Certificate Program to produce specially trained teachers to serve as mentors, supervisors and support providers to novice professionals, especially at low-performing schools.
AB 341, introduced by Virginia Strom-Martin (D-1), would provide incentives for low-income school districts to compete for qualified teachers. It would provide incentives for school districts to hire fully qualified teachers, such as state reimbursements of salary aid on the basis of the percentage of fully qualified teachers hired by the district.
SB 837, introduced by Sen. Jack Scott (D-21), addresses the concern that some school districts choose to hire underqualified teachers to save money. The bill would put the onus on districts to prove that a diligent search for a sufficient number of certificated teachers was made before those without credentials were hired.
CTA has taken a "support" position on AB 401 and a "watch" position on AB 833 and AB 341; it has not yet taken a position on AB 1342 or SB 837.
